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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27060580">As The World Caves In</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bye_bye_firefly/pseuds/bye_bye_firefly'>bye_bye_firefly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>:), Ambiguous/Open Ending, Arguing, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Cold, Confusion, DADZA!!!, Dead People, Delusions, Exhaustion, Explosions, Father-Son Relationship, Fights, Fire, Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Tagging, Light Angst, Mentioned Toby Smith | Tubbo, Nobody is Dead, One Shot, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit Friendship, Villain Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot Needs a Hug, Wilbur Soot-centric, dream shows up for like. A SECOND and then he disappears lol, hes here to deliver us what we all love and care for, hes like the mailman, i did not edit this because. ITS 6 AM, im NOT EDITTING IT!!, ive been working on this for 10 hours STRAIGHT bro, kind of? kind of, niki is so strong and kind and sweet, you cannot MAKE ME, you gotta love philza minecraft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:16:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27060580</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bye_bye_firefly/pseuds/bye_bye_firefly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wilbur blew up Manberg. All that's left to do is revel in success: laugh at the crispy corpses until he can't anymore.<br/>Everyone around him knows the truth, though. Tommy feels the only way to make him realise it is by bringing an old friend of theirs onto the server. God forbid Wilbur know what sense is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>As The World Caves In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amongst the flames, his trenchcoat charred at the hems and his pants torn apart by flames and rubble, he felt at peace. His heart wasn't beating as fast as it was before. Oh, lord, he was so happy. He stumbled through the remains of a broken city with his destroyed leg, begging for a break from today's running and falling and explosions, and watched as people either faded away in their blood or got to their knees to look at him with fear in their eyes. Yes, he knew what they were thinking: how could Wilbur do this to them?</p><p>Oh, the betrayal. He couldn't help but chuckle. That chuckle turned into laughter that made him tilt his head to the sky, his eyes wider than they'd ever been, trying to take in everything he'd done as the wind whipped around him. It caused him to spin and that spin made him fall over and start cackling into the dirt. The few people who were nearby- Tommy, Niki, and Technoblade- stared at him, their chests rising and falling irregularly. Tommy fixed his armour, still mostly intact because he was far away from the action, and came to his side.</p><p>"Wilbur?"</p><p>He just couldn't stop laughing. It was too funny.</p><p>"Wilbur, look at me."</p><p>But looking at Tommy's stupid, innocent little face made him laugh more. He fell forward into his chest and just kept laughing until he started crying, his sides aching from it. Tommy, not knowing what else to do, simply wrapped his arms around him as if that would help at all. Hugging Wilbur in this state was like trying to turn a villain into a hero using the power of friendship. Technoblade watched as this happened and looked at Niki with a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Aren't you working with them?" she questioned.</p><p>"Yeah, but I mostly farm potatoes for them and do other work on the side. Like, getting stuff for powerful beings that could destroy entire servers."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Nothing."</p><p>Tommy didn't have to ignore them; his focus was on Wilbur. There was nothing in the world that could distract him from Wilbur at this moment. "You're acting weird, Wilbur."</p><p>Weird. Was that the word for it? Wilbur thought he was happy. This was a normal reaction. Was it taboo, considering the circumstances? Maybe. Maybe a little bit. Still, he laughed and panted a bit through the individual ha's, finally turning his head towards Tommy. Suddenly, he went pale, because Tommy was no longer Tommy; he was Phil. But that face morphed from Phil to Tubbo to Dream and suddenly, he was in a panic. He began screaming at the top of his lungs, kicking to get away because if he didn't, he felt like he would die.</p><p>He tumbled down a few feet and stared up at the sky. Bright red, full of clouds. Flames framed the sky. Carefully, he reached towards the sky as if it would take him away, assist him somehow, but it was all for nought. He knew there was no situation in the world where the sky could just take him away. He was raised better than that; yes, Phil taught him so much better, or maybe he taught himself that, or maybe it was the kid who he had watched get murdered in a box- <em>Tubbo.</em> Tubbo, that was him, he knew him, he let this happen-</p><p>
  <em>"Wilbur!"</em>
</p><p>How was it raining ash and fire yet still so cold?! How could he be freezing?! He was wearing a coat and it was still cold; was it a draft? Was it someone else? Why was it so hard to breathe? Why couldn't he move? No, he wasn't regretting this day, he wasn't regretting what he'd just done, this was what he wanted all along! The meaning was never muddled; it was always him against everyone else! He <em>meant </em>for this since the beginning! Everything he'd done, every word he'd said, every half-truth and total lie- it was for the destruction of this <em>ugly </em>nation!</p><p>He found himself laughing through each quick breath. He was enjoying himself so much. The cold, the stars in his vision, the destruction of Manberg- this was <em>PERFECT!</em></p><p>Let the corpses pile up. Let the dead start rising so he could kill them again. Let this crater keep burning with him in the centre. Nothing could warm him up; it wouldn't matter; he would be alone; he would prove himself; he would <em>be, </em>whatever that meant to him. What was being anyway? Why not let him die with it? He stood up, watching the people as they watched him with a smile curling onto his face. That kid, that girl, that man; it didn't matter their names, just that they saw him. He picked up his sword and leaned on his good leg, pointing the tip towards them.</p><p>Niki looked at Technoblade as he stepped in front of her, but refused to draw a weapon himself. She asked, as softly as a feather falling to the grass, "Wilbur, what are you doing?"</p><p>"Niki, you need to back up," Tommy warned. "Wilbur isn't feeling alright."</p><p>"Oh, Tommy, that's where you're wrong," he said, "because I'm feeling <em>amazing.</em> If there was a word for more than perfect, I would use it."</p><p>Tommy stared him before looking back at Technoblade with a painful look in his eyes. "Techno, I'm going to get Dream. Don't fight Wilbur; just keep him safe." Before Wilbur could say a thing, Tommy ran off through the fire. He was gone before he knew it. Technoblade and Wilbur both stared at each other before Technoblade took the first move by taking Niki's hand to at least know she was behind him and backing up. Wilbur limped towards him, the pain in his chest growing as his fingers became numb because of the cold.</p><p>"Wilbur."</p><p>"Techno."</p><p>"Hi."</p><p>Wilbur laughed and said, "Look, I get it if you don't want to protect her. I'm not threatening you."</p><p>"That sword says otherwise, uh..."</p><p>"I'm asking you to join me."</p><p>Technoblade looked back at Niki and gently pushed her back a little further. "I would join on any particular day, but I have a few responsibilities still."</p><p>"Like what?"</p><p>"Tommy."</p><p>That made Wilbur freeze. Cold tears welled up in his eyes as his head wobbled its way to his feet. With his chin touching his chest, his arm faltered and the sword clattered beside him as he dropped it. "I knew it."</p><p>"Knew what?"</p><p>"You were against me from the start."</p><p>"I wasn't, actually," he corrected him, allowing Niki to come out from behind him. "And I'm still all for your cause is, Wilbur. I'm here to be the anarchist. If there's a government, I want to overthrow it."</p><p>"Oh, I know," he said. The tears silently fell though he didn't know what he was crying about. It was weird- weird, there was that word again. You know, maybe he was weird. "I know, Techno."</p><p>"Then you know I'm not against you and I'll never be against you."</p><p>"I don't know <em>that."</em></p><p>Technoblade came closer and for a moment, Wilbur's eyes widened as Niki followed his lead. She was always so fearless. So warm. Full of life, cheerful, yet headstrong. She was tough and she still cared about the people around her. The gleam in her eyes never revealed her fear nor hesitation because she knew neither of those things. Technoblade, however, put a hand back, his palm hitting her stomach, to let her know that she shouldn't come any closer. Wilbur was glad they were on the same page; neither of them trusted each other.</p><p>"Wilbur, Tommy will be back. I don't know what he'll be back with, but I'm assuming it's Dream. Let's sit down for a second."</p><p>"I don't want to sit." A wave of pain was sent through his leg as he said that, but he refused to stagger because of it. "I'm fine."</p><p>Niki finally spoke up and said, "You don't look okay, Wilbur. You can barely stand, a-and your eyes-"</p><p>"What about them?"</p><p>"You look...unfocused."</p><p>She wasn't wrong; his brain was scattered. There were so many things he had to think about. It didn't help that he was shivering. "Yeah. Yeah, a little."</p><p>Niki frowned at his answer and disobeyed Technoblade's hand, coming closer to him. She came to his side and let him use her as a crutch, smiling at him with that usual smile she had. It was a bit broken, but that didn't matter; she was smiling. If she didn't trust him, if she didn't see him as a friend or her ally, Wilbur was alright with that because that smile was all he needed to be persuaded into sitting with Technoblade and her. The simple things mattered sometimes, especially when most of his time was fighting now.</p><p>They sat on a small bump of dirt, Niki taking the time to wipe the ash and soot from Wilbur's face, licking her thumb and using it to clean him up. He sat there patiently, being still for her, his eyes closed. Sitting like this wouldn't be so bad for a little bit. There was nothing left to do, was there? He could just sit and shiver. That was when Tommy finally came back and yelled, "Wilbur! Wilbur, I know how to help!"</p><p>"Tommy, I don't care." Wilbur didn't open his eyes to look at him but Tommy wasn't having it. He glared at him and jerked his arm towards him, making him finally turn his gaze to him.</p><p>That was when he realised he wasn't in Manberg. He was sitting in the ravine they called Pogtopia. He looked around, his eyes wide with bewilderment. "Wilbur-"</p><p>"Where are we?"</p><p>"Pogtopia."</p><p>"How long have we been here?"</p><p>Technoblade raised a brow and said, "We've always been here, Wilbur."</p><p>"What about Manberg? Didn't- I know I..." He looked down at his clothes and realised they weren't burnt or torn up. "I was in Manberg."</p><p>"No, you weren't," Niki said. "You fell in the mud on your way back here."</p><p>Tommy, looking at Technoblade with scorn in his eyes, said, "It was a public execution. You couldn't find the button. We couldn't light Manberg up like you wanted."</p><p>"That's not true."</p><p>"It is," Technoblade said, "and I know it is because I was the one who made it a public execution."</p><p>"Dickhead," Tommy mumbled. "Tubbo's okay, though. He's just...a little beaten up. That's all. He'll be fine." There was a hint of doubt in his voice, but Wilbur couldn't decide whether or not it was feasible that Tubbo might come out okay because he hadn't the slightest clue what they were talking about. Tommy noticed. Tommy <em>always </em>noticed. "Wilbur?"</p><p>"I...I blew it up...I..."</p><p>"No, you didn't. Manberg is fine." Niki finished wiping his face off and looked towards the steps, gasping and covering her mouth. "Oh my god."</p><p>Tommy looked over and smiled the saddest smile Wilbur had seen on him. He didn't think it was possible for him to look so sad. Technoblade, although bored at first, turned and immediately let his eyes widen and his smile grow, standing up to greet whoever stood there. Wilbur didn't bother to move his head, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened, but Dream spoke up by the stairs and said, "I did as you asked, Tommy. I brought him over straight away."</p><p>He heard the shuffle of boots as someone marched over to study him.</p><p>As Dream left, his voice echoed throughout the small ravine, "Welcome to Pogtopia- hopefully, L'Manberg soon- Phil."</p><p>Wilbur raised his head to stare at Phil with those tired eyes of his. His jaw went slack and he jumped from his seat to Phil in an instant, bursting into tears the moment he wrapped him in a hug. Phil wasn't one to deny it, squeezing him to his chest and rubbing his back. No words had to be said. Wilbur just cried and Phil let him, his sad eyes showing a hint of disappointment. He sighed softly and whispered, "We have a lot to talk about."</p><p>"I-I know," Wilbur admitted.</p><p>"Techno," Phil said in an almost accusatory manner, "what have you been doing?"</p><p>Technoblade stopped being happy for a second to scowl at him and say, "I haven't done anything!"</p><p>Tommy blurted out, "He killed Tubbo!"</p><p>"Wait, wait, wait," Phil started, "who's Tubbo?"</p><p>"Uh, my friend?! Don't you know my friends?!"</p><p>"Everyone knows you don't have friends, Tommy," Technoblade said.</p><p>"That is <em>NOT </em>true! I have many friends and many of them are women but Tubbo is one of my cool friends who happens to be a man like me!"</p><p>"If you're a man, I'm terrified of what I am."</p><p>"Shut up, Techno! You're the one who killed him!"</p><p>"Didn't you say earlier that he was okay?"</p><p>Phil looked around and asked, "So, Tommy, you're either lying to me or telling me that Techno killed your friend."</p><p>"He's doing both! I shot him; I didn't <em>kill </em>him!"</p><p>"Why did you shoot him?"</p><p>"P-Peer pressure." After a moment of collective silence, he realised that no one liked that answer in the slightest. It was time to overexplain the situation. "I have social anxiety! I was surrounded by, like, twenty-something dudes and I was being threatened! I couldn't just-"</p><p>"And Tubbo wasn't being threatened?!"</p><p>"Tommy, you need to calm down. I'm taking care of it."</p><p>"Yeah, <em>Tommy,</em> he's the <em>adult."</em></p><p>"Shut up!"</p><p>Wilbur laughed a real laugh, squeezing Phil in a hug tighter and tighter until he couldn't squeeze any tighter. "I missed you..."</p><p>Phil gave a sad smile and nodded. "I missed you, too, Wilbur."</p><p>"What about me?" Tommy asked.</p><p>"He didn't miss you. He <em>totally </em>missed me, though."</p><p>"I missed you all," Phil said. "I missed you all; I hate how torn up you all are. We need some time spent not trying to overthrow anyone or win anything. We need a week to just relax." He looked at Wilbur and frowned when he noticed the bags under his eyes. "Especially you. You need your rest the most."</p><p>"What about me?"</p><p>"Shut up, Tommy; I need more rest than you do."</p><p>"I'm the youth! I need rest, too!"</p><p>"You <em>all </em>need rest." Phil laughed and shook his head in disbelief, already overwhelmed with them. He looked at Niki and waved with that sparkling smile he always gave, and Niki waved and smiled back. "Niki, how are you?"</p><p>"I'm good."</p><p>"Would you like to help me with all of this?"</p><p>Niki nodded. She was a fighter, but she was also a caretaker. Maybe the jobs went hand in hand. She helped him take Tommy and Technoblade away, Phil waddling behind because of Wilbur, who wouldn't end the hug anytime soon. Tommy grumbled under his breath and Technoblade didn't bother to respond, nervously looking around and asking Niki, "Can I go? I have a base and stuff and-"</p><p>Phil shouted, "You will be staying with everyone else!"</p><p>He couldn't argue with that. What Phil said went. Tommy snickered, so Technoblade found a way to elbow his side and start a scuffle between them. Wilbur sniffled and finally let go of Phil, walking beside him as he wiped up his face. "Sorry," he said quietly.</p><p>"It's alright," he said. "Don't be sorry, Wilbur. You can be excited to see me; it's flattering."</p><p>Wilbur chuckled and nodded. "I'm just sorry."</p><p>"Again, don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for."</p><p>"I have a lot to be sorry for."</p><p>"Well, I think you're sorry because I'm here and making you feel bad for some reason. What are you sorry for?"</p><p>There was a pause before he admitted, "I don't know."</p><p>Phil nodded and said, "I didn't expect you to know immediately. You seem half-there."</p><p>"Unfocused."</p><p>"Yeah," he agreed. "That's alright. You have plenty of friends and now that I'm here, I'll be here to support you." He ruffled his hair and chuckled as they followed Niki. "You'll make it."</p><p>"I don't know about that."</p><p>He cocked his eyebrow at that and looked at him, stopping in his tracks to talk to him. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"Maybe I'm just too far gone, Phil. Maybe there's no changing how I feel about any of this." He looked at him, his eyes slowly growing more and more tired. "I thought I was in Manberg, Phil."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I thought that I had blown Manberg up. I was walking through the ashes and watching as people bled at my feet and I-I...I was <em>laughing.</em> I thought it was all real, but it wasn't, and now...now I'm just cold. I'm so cold."</p><p>Phil looked at him, thinking about what to say to comfort him or help him, but from the way his eyes shifted, Wilbur knew that he came to understand there was no comforting him. There wasn't a silver lining to his cold madness nor was there solace in being told there was a way out because, from Wilbur's perspective, he was so far in the hole that digging himself out was futile. Phil's hopeful perspective influenced mostly by the fact that he was so close to Wilbur wasn't going to make him think he could change.</p><p>"Maybe there isn't any going back to the way things were," Phil said, "but there is a way of evolving into a better you."</p><p>"I don't think that means anything."</p><p>"Of course it means something." He smiled and said, "Everything changes somehow. I know that we've changed, right? You're a grown man; I may be the father figure, but I don't think I'm Dadza anymore. I'm just...Phil." He laughed and thought about it a little more before adding, "I am here to support you, but I'm also here to tell you when you've messed up, and...and I think you've messed up."</p><p>"I haven't."</p><p>"Wilbur, you're a terrorist."</p><p>"No, I'm not."</p><p>"You know that you are," he said. "You almost blew up a town full of people who were doing nothing wrong other than daring to live in Manberg. It's not sane or rational or what you built yourself on."</p><p>"I'm evolving, Phil."</p><p>He glared and said, "Evolving into a monster. When I say evolve, I mean become a better person. You aren't a better person because you're telling Tommy that he won't be president- hell, I wouldn't doubt it if he <em>did </em>become president one day, but what's he going to be president of if you don't give him that chance?"</p><p>"I don't know what you mean." He looked down at the ground, his face tense with irritation.</p><p>"Getting rid of Manberg solves nothing. You might feel upset; I would be upset in your shoes, too, but we don't resort to making people feel unsafe in their own damn home." He got Wilbur to look at him and asked, "Am I understood? Do you at least know where I'm coming from?"</p><p>With a little hesitation, he said, "Yes."</p><p>"Alright." He pat his back and studied him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was saying he understood to not get lectured anymore. "I want you to know that nothing will get better immediately. Probably not even soon. It's a process, but it's a process you won't go through alone. Alright? We're gonna get through this together."</p><p>Wilbur felt a little warmer.</p><p>They walked to where Niki had taken Technoblade and Tommy, Phil chuckling at the sight. Niki had set up a few beds for them in a room she'd just recently carved out and both of them were already fast asleep in their spots- obviously away from each other. They left the middle bed to Wilbur, not that they would be able to say goodnight to him or that Wilbur would want them to say goodnight to him. He looked around before walking to the bed and curling up under the covers.</p><p>Phil smiled and said, "Get some rest, alright? We can get everything settled later. We have plenty of time."</p><p>Niki nodded in agreeance and quickly left the area, smiling at Phil who smiled back. He lingered for a little bit after Niki left, though, watching as Wilbur soon fell asleep, too. Everyone was exhausted. After taking a deep breath, he shook his head. What was he going to do with them? Rambunctious little devils who couldn't keep themselves in line, always crawling back to Dadza...</p><p>Well...he could play dad for a little bit. They needed one, anyway.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>no no no this cant be becoming my main fandom. no this cant be i cant be...HYPERFIXATING?? AGAIN??? i couldnt stop thinking about this and i forgot a math assignment was due but you know its FIIINE just drops in the BUCKET right?? only 3 points 0s can hurt your grade but not -3 points right. right? right.</p><p>i also feel like my midwest came out in this. idk something about it just feels very midwest to me ngl but maybe im just reading too much into it</p></blockquote></div></div>
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